Category: PlayStation

For the past 15 years, PlayStation Plus has served as a welcoming home for indie games, connecting players with some of the most innovative, heartfelt, and personal experiences the world of video games has to offer. The PlayStation Plus Game Catalog (included with PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium memberships) puts a huge library of indie games right at your fingertips—but with so many games available, it’s possible for even some of the best to escape your notice. 

As we’ve entered the 15th anniversary of PlayStation Plus, we’ve rounded up 15 of the best indies from the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. These are games that you might have missed, but you absolutely shouldn’t.

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A Space for the Unbound

A Space for the Unbound delves into the lives of teenagers living in Indonesia in the 1990s, at first telling an endearing slice-of-life story about friendship and first loves. Then things start to get weird. As supernatural elements weave their way into the point-and-click adventure of high schoolers Atma and Raya, A Space for the Unbound quickly becomes a powerful, impactful, and highly relatable experience.

Publisher: Chorus Worldwide Games | Developer: Mojiken Studio | PS5, PS4

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Abiotic Factor

The incident that turned Gordon Freeman into an HEV suit-wearing hero was just another day at the office for everyone else at Black Mesa. Abiotic Factor takes inspiration from the random lab employees stuck at work on the day an errant experiment rips a hole in another dimension, but imagines the experience as a survival game instead of a first-person shooter. Trapped in the facility with up to five friends, you’ll need to seek out resources like food and water, and craft weapons out of office supplies—all while avoiding the otherworldly creatures that are your new neighbors.

Publisher: Playstack | Developer: Deep Field Games | PS5

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Another Crab’s Treasure

If Dark Souls took place in Sponge Bob’s underwater town of Bikini Bottom, it might look something like Another Crab’s Treasure. As a hermit crab named Kril, you set out to reclaim your shell after it’s repossessed, and soon find yourself scavenging trash to use as armor and weapons to fight off tough creatures. Another Crab’s Treasure tells a lighthearted tale set in an unsanitary sea, but don’t let the colorful palette and funny characters fool you: It also packs some serious boss battles to put Souls-like fans through their paces.

Publisher: Aggro Crab | Developer: Aggro Crab | PS5, PS4

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Blue Prince

Blue Prince starts with a death. The baron of Mount Holly Manor has passed away, leaving the 45-room estate to you—but only if you can manage to find and enter its 46th room. That’s a challenge, as each door you open leads to your choice of room, forcing you to plot a new course through its halls, bedrooms, and kitchens with each new day. Blue Prince, a Day One addition to the PlayStation Plus Catalog, is delightfully dense with puzzles, secrets, and mysteries that combine to become much more than they first appear.

Publisher: Raw Fury | Developer: Dogubomb | PS5

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Celeste

Madeline has something to prove to herself, and that’s why she’s going to climb a mountain. It’s not an easy feat, however—though the controls of side-scrolling platformer Celeste are relatively simple to pick up, it takes mastery of precise jumps and dashes to ascend through level after level. Celeste uses its excellent platforming to tell a surprisingly deep and emotional story, as Madeline struggles to fight back her inner demons all the way to the summit.

Publisher: Maddy Makes Games | Developer: Maddy Makes Games | PS4

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Citizen Sleeper

Sci-fi RPG Citizen Sleeper charges you with finding a way to escape your corporate indentured servitude as a sleeper—a digitized human mind inhabiting a robot body. What follows is a haunting and human story played out through a series of small events, where table top RPG-style dice rolls, coupled with your choices, determine what happens. It’s easy to get lost trying to eke out a living in Citizen Sleeper’s imaginative sci-fi future, one that’s bleak at times, and hopeful at others.

Publisher: Fellow Traveler Games | Developer: Jump Over the Age | PS5, PS4

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Cult of the Lamb

Touched by a dark god, an incredibly cute lamb is sent into the world to bring its Word to other cuddly critters. Grow your flock and gather resources to build and manage an ever-growing compound where your followers live, work, and occasionally volunteer to be sacrificed to their fell deity. When you’re not building up a home for your followers, you’ll venture out into the world to vanquish other powerful cult leaders, giving Cult of the Lamb a devilishly delightful mix of colony building and rogue-like gameplay.

Publisher: Devolver Digital | Developer: Massive Monster | PS5, PS4

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Dead Cells

Hacking and slashing has perhaps never been so refined—or so expansive—as it is in Dead Cells. The side-scrolling “roguevania” sends you out into various shifting locales to fight through hordes of creatures, and provides you with a host of inventive weapons to do so. Knives and swords are cool, but how about an automated crossbow turret? How about a crossbow turret that sets people on fire? How about a fiery crossbow turret that sprays poison? With a huge number of weapons to unlock and upgrades to earn, Dead Cells will constantly keep you returning to its speedy, intense combat for just one more run.

Publisher: Motion Twin | Developer: Motion Twin | PS5, PS4

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Dredge

The gentle rolling seas are calling, and with your fishing boat, you can venture out to haul in a catch and make a decent living. Just don’t worry too much about those twisted abominations that sometimes fill your nets, or the strange shapes that creep in the dark fog. Dredge is sometimes a relaxing fishing game, sometimes a strange tale of supernatural mystery, and sometimes a single boat’s journey into the eldritch unknown; it turns out that fishing and horror work extremely well together.

Publisher: Team17 | Developer: Black Salt Games | PS5, PS4

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Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition

Inspired by side-scrolling classics like Metroid and Mega Man X, Hollow Knight sends you deep into a fallen insect kingdom known as the Hallownest to put a stop to an infection that has cursed its people. Exploring the tunnels and cities of Hallownest takes you on a sprawling adventure to fight colossal creatures, meet and battle other bugs, and uncover the mystery of what destroyed a once-great civilization.

Publisher: Team Cherry | Developer: Team Cherry | PS4

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Paradise Killer

This dazzlingly bizarre and stylish murder mystery throws you into a surreal world of gods, syndicates, and cosmic corruption. As Lady Love Dies, you’re tasked with solving a murder on a tropical island outside of space and time. The game’s open-ended investigation, vaporwave aesthetic, and synth-laced soundtrack create an intoxicating atmosphere where every clue matters and every accusation is yours to make. Paradise Killer is a bold, genre-defying detective experience and a must-play for ’80s-inspired synthwave fans.

Publisher: Fellow Traveller | Developer: Kaizen Game Works | PS5, PS4

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Tetris Effect: Connected

Few games create a more all-encompassing zenlike experience than Tetris Effect: Connected. The classic puzzle game is elevated by captivating visuals and a phenomenal soundtrack that sync perfectly with your play, pulling you into a block-dropping flow state that’s only elevated by the ability to play with up to four other people. Tetris Effect: Connected is the next stage in evolution of one of the best games of all time.

Publisher: Enhance Games | Developer: Monstars, Resonair | PS5, PS4

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Moonlighter

Ever wonder what the shopkeepers of an RPG town get up to when you’re not around? In Moonlighter, you play a merchant who goes dungeon-crawling by night to find new wares to sell by day. Your skills in capitalism help to fuel your nightly adventures as you delve deeper into the dungeons, taking on hulking bosses in hopes of finally leaving the shopkeep life behind and making it as a full-time hero.

Publisher: 11 bit Studios | Developer: Digital Sun | PS4

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Undertale

Funny, heartfelt, and unexpected, Undertale might be one of the most beloved indie games ever made. It tells the story of a human who falls into the subterranean world of monsters, but flips RPG genre conventions on their heads with a battle system that gives you the option to talk your way out of fights and spare the many creatures who attack you. Emotional, often-hilarious writing and strange, well-realized characters have made Undertale memorable, but it’s the choices you make that will define your journey.

Publisher: 8-4 Ltd. | Developer: Toby Fox | PS4

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Untitled Goose Game

A town full of people is just trying to live in peace—unfortunately for them but luckily for you, a goose is loose. Untitled Goose Game finds hilarity in the simple chaos of a goose stealing stuff, honking at people, and generally ruining everyone’s day. Racing around a series of sandbox areas, it’s your goal to get into as much trouble as you can, with a variety of goals to fulfill, puzzles to solve, and angry townspeople to evade and bewilder. 

Publisher: Panic Inc. | Developer: House House | PS4

These are just some of the great games that are worth your attention—there are a whole lot more in the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog. Head to playstation.com to see the full library to find a heap of excellent indies worth exploring.

Discover more great indies on PlayStation.

First revealed in State of Play, and recently playable at Evo Las Vegas 2025, MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, brings a fundamental shift to the tag-fighting genre. Arc System Works, Marvel Games, and PlayStation Studios have assembled to create a vibrant, stylized world, and after an intense 30-minute play session this past weekend, I’m counting down the days until I’m a Tōkon fighter again.

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Building a 4v4 team

“The reason we went with 4v4 is actually because it’s something that’s never been done before in fighting games where players can switch characters,” says Kazuto Sekine, Game Director and Lead Battle Designer, Arc System Works. “We wanted to challenge ourselves to create a new tag fighter.”

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During my session, I had access to a set of all-star Heroes to create my team of four:

● Doctor Doom is slow but hits hard with magical and tricky range attacks. 

● Ms. Marvel is quick with high-risk, high-reward attacks.

● Storm is an aerial threat with deadly crossovers., 

● Iron Man keeps enemies at bay with anti-air and other punishing moves. 

● Star-Lord was the most technical with his ability to switch between firearms and insane juggles.

● Captain America is a versatile all-rounder and a great entry point for new players.

After some experimentation, I prioritized playing Storm and Star-Lord. I loved how their combos, personality, and flair were true to their characters (at one point, Storm sternly refers to Star-Lord as “Quill” when he’s goofing off, which I adored). Storm’s light and medium attacks are beginner-friendly and combo well into her Quick Skill, which is a character’s unique attack you activate by pressing R2. I also found success rushing in with Star-Lord, using quick blaster and melee combos right into his Ultimate, activated simply by pressing R1.

The control scheme is pretty straightforward. Square, Triangle, and Circle are your light, medium, and heavy attacks, respectively, while X is the assemble button. All of your special attacks and skills are reserved for the triggers. L1 enables a quick dash, L2 is a quick Assemble ability, and R1 and R2 provide your unique attack and quick skills.

How swapping between characters works

Traditionally, in a tag fighter, you have to rotate through your entire team before the match is over, but in Tōkon your team shares one health bar. This means you don’t have to master the whole roster to be effective, and in that sense, can approach the game like a more traditional fighter if you choose to. At the start of the match, you can only control your lead character. As the skirmish progresses, you gain the ability to switch into your assist characters when you lose a round, performing a throw, or knocking your opponent into another section of the stage. It creates an interesting dance of being careful not to give your opponents more options to use against you while making sure you access your extended roster first, and who you would want as your first backup option.

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“Previously for all [tag fighters] in order to play them, you had to be able to control multiple characters,” says Sekine, “However, for our game, it was important for us to design it so that you would only actually need to be able to take control of one character. You only need to learn to play as one character in order to enjoy the game, and you can still see your other teammates coming in and out of the battlefield.”

Where you would traditionally have a dedicated button to swap between your party, here you do it during assists. Once you successfully call in an assist you have a brief window to swap to them. This exchange creates a natural swap out in the chaos of battle and some stylish moments between characters. Tōkon cares about what is happening on screen at all times, so switching between characters in the middle of a combo, standing still, or even in the air creates unique animations, such as characters giving each other daps or quipping about needing to step in.
 

Accommodating different players’ fighting styles

As I was studying my opponent’s moves, they took a different approach, focusing on supers and trying to bring out their team for full-screen spectacles. Where each character performs a quick combo, sending your opponent airborne while smashing them to the ground, ending in what I can only describe as a superhero pose-a-thon. The methodical vs manic approach created a fun back-and-forth between us, but the game was accommodating of both approaches and provided its own sense of satisfaction.

“When it comes to the game’s design, it was very important for us to make this something that’s easy to get into, but has depth beyond that initial entry,” says Sekine. “One thing that we were very careful about when designing the game was to ensure that there is not any kind of mechanic or attack that someone who’s just getting started would not be able to perform. It would impede on the experience of new players.” 

“When you press the Assemble button, depending on the situation and what’s going on in the match, the Assist will come out and perform a different action that’s suitable for that particular moment,” says Sekine. “By designing it in that way that we’re able to clearly communicate to the player when they should be calling in their assists, and make it easier for them to play.”

Anime-inspired Heroes in action

“At Marvel games, it’s really important for us to allow developers to put their own unique stamp on the Marvel Universe,” says Michael Francisco, Sr. Product Development Manager, Marvel Games. “In the case of Arc, it’s that fusion of Marvel and American comics with Japanese anime and manga, and you can see that reflected in the art style and the character designs.” 

All the characters ooze charm, but the backgrounds also pack a lot of exciting details. Eagle-eyed fans should keep an eye out for interesting signage referencing heroes and events, pedestrians reacting to on-screen action, and easter eggs scattered throughout. It’s obvious a lot of care was put into building this world.
 

“It was very important for us to be able to create the visual excitement that should be entailed with [tag fighters],” says Takeshi Yamanaka, Producer, Arc System Works. “Since this is a 4v4 game, that means that we can have up to eight characters out on the screen at one time altogether, so we were careful when creating the visual composition of the screen to ensure that we convey that excitement.”

The 4v4 fights begin next year

MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls is set to release in 2026, and while I’m excited to see all the heroes, combinations, and worlds the game will take us to,o I asked the team how they felt about creating something new that has never been done before in the fighting genre. 

“It’s both scary and exciting, exhilarating and terrifying, at the same time,” says Francisco. “From the beginning, we all want to honor and respect the rich history and legacy of Marvel, while also forging our own path forward to create something new and innovative. So, we just hope fans are excited to see what we’ve come up with as a collaboration between all three parties.” 

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

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Hey, everybody! Kristen, Tim, Brett, and Sid are back this week to discuss Heretic + Hexen remastered by Nightdive Studios, the multiplayer reveal for Battlefield 6, and much more.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s releases:
  • Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II | PS5
  • Madden NFL 26 | PS5
  • Midnight Murder Club | PS5
  • Echoes of the End | PS5
• Battlefield 6 — Multiplayer gameplay reveal, deep diving into multiplayer and the various character classes, modes, and other new features.
• Heretic + Hexen — Hack-and-cast action returns with this enhanced re-release for PS5 and PS4. Learn more about the return of the cult classic fantasy FPS games.
• NBA 2K26  — A detailed explanation of everything new this year including greater visual fidelity for players, crowd reactions, and realistic plays and shooting.
• Terminator 2D: No Fate  — The developers share details on tuning the difficulty levels for this retro-inspired side-scrolling action game.

The Cast

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Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

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Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

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Brett Elston – Manager, Content Communications, SIE

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Kristen Zitani –  Senior Content Communications Specialist, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

This past week players took a vacation through their favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

dodgykebaab shares Astro taking a relaxing moment in the sun in Astro Bot.

BBSnakeCorn goes jetskiing in Grand Theft Auto Online.

mandylorian__ shares their space adventurer exploring a colorful planet in No Man’s Sky.

snakemanuele shares Sam riding a coffin board through the desert in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

xenobitz shares a hunter with a giant beach ball in Monster Hunter Wilds.

JacoBee___ shares a historical site in ancient Egypt from Assassin’s Creed Origins.

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Filter
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 13, 2025 

Next week, pick a filter! Share moments from the game of your choice that have been stylized with a Photo Mode filter using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

It’s not quite the designated Spooky Season yet, but there’s something about hot summer nights that makes the thought of body-chilling horror hit much harder. Fortunately for fans of the creepy, bloody, and frightening, there are noteworthy PS5 horror games on their way that’ll stick around in your nightmares.

Still, true terror is a year-round experience. So, we’ll be looking at releases further forward as well—into the 2025 Halloween season, and even further beyond into the harsh, unforgiving winter months of 2026. Steel yourselves, players, because between atmospheric indies, classic reimaginings, and blockbuster sequels, the next several months will offer a harvest of the finest frights.

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Killing Floor 3

Release Date: July 24, 2025
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive

Sometimes, all you can do in the face of massive, encroaching horror is fight back with the biggest, baddest weapons and the bravest companions that you can. Gather a group of up to four friends (or play solo, if you’re brave) and take the role of one of six different types of specialists to lay waste to the hordes of monstrous Zeds. The enhanced M.E.A.T. (Massive Evisceration and Trauma) system makes every shot, slice, and stab interact with enemies and the environment in realistic, satisfying detail.

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Cronos: The New Dawn

Release Date: September 5, 2025
Developer: Bloober Team
Publisher: Bloober Team

Time comes for us all eventually, but in the future of Cronos, it looks like humanity’s time is almost up. Surviving the attacks of the hideous, once-human terrors of this bleak future and ensuring their remains are incinerated before they merge into bigger threats is already a challenge, but the only glimmer of hope seems even more impossible: extracting the souls of those involved in The Change from decades ago into the future. As these souls aid and augment you, they also haunt you. Will you be able to endure an ordeal that transcends time?

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Dying Light: The Beast

Release Date: September 19, 2025
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Techland

Kyle Crane, the protagonist of the original Dying Light, has a grudge—he’s still dealing with the aftereffects of years of unethical experimentation on his body. He’s left as something not quite human, but not quite undead, and he wants revenge on the Baron who did this to him. The monstrous hordes infesting the once-scenic Castor Woods aren’t going to make this easy for him, either—especially once the sun sets and they get really vicious. It’s up to you to use all of Kyle’s abilities to survive solo or in up to four-player co-op play.

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Silent Hill f

Release Date: September 25, 2025
Developer: NeoBards Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment

The all-time great horror series re-invents itself with a new setting, but keeps all of the psychological horror you know and love. Travel back to the ’60s in fog-filled Ebisugaoka, Japan, where young Hinako Shimizu’s ordinary schoolgirl life has been taking some very disturbing turns. Famed visual novel writer Ryukishi07 has developed a setting and narrative that combines the classic atmosphere and madness of the Silent Hill series with the best of Japanese horror traditions. Longtime series fans and newcomers alike won’t want to miss this one.

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Little Nightmares 3

Release Date: October 10, 2025 
Developer: SuperMassive Games
Publisher: Bandai Namco Games

The cult classic horror adventure game returns with a new duo of adventurers and a new realm of terror. Two youths, Low and Alone, find themselves in the Nowhere—a world that exists beyond human sleep and is filled with the abominations of our unconscious. Using Low’s bow and Alone’s wrench, you’ll need to figure out how to navigate this wasteland and conquer its threats. You won’t have to face these nightmares alone, however, as Little Nightmares 3 offers co-op play in a series first.

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Crisol: Theater of Idols

Release Date: 2025
Developer: Vermila Studios
Publisher: Blumhouse Games

In the alternate-universe Spain of Crisol, faith and folklore have melded to create a realm of twisted devotion and idolatry. As the warrior Gabriel, you have been sent to the accursed island of Tormentosa, where wicked cults hold demonic ceremonies and beautiful yet horrifying graven images move in a mockery of life. Your blood acts as both your life force and your weapon ammunition, adding a terrifying twist to already intense combat. In the end, how will your blood be shed?

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Resident Evil Requiem

Release Date: February 27, 2026
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom

Ahh, Raccoon City, how we’ve missed you. The ninth entry in the trailblazing survival horror series goes back to where it all began, bringing back some classic storyline threads along with it. FBI intelligence analyst Grace Ashcroft takes the starring role this time around. Her mother was murdered while looking for information on the mysterious Wrenwood Hotel, leading Grace into a life of her own investigation. When Grace revisits the Raccoon City incidents, what will she discover? Resident Evil Requiem is due out in February 2026, and we can’t think of a better anniversary celebration.

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Reanimal

Release Date: 2026
Developer: Tarsier Studios
Publisher: THQ Nordic

Familial bonds are put to the test in Reanimal. Two young orphans are put through a living hell on a dark, isolated island, facing both mutated monstrosities and representations of their own trauma. Local and online co-op allows you and a companion to fight your way through this oppressive world together, and a dynamic camera designed to constantly ratchet up the fear and tension will keep you on your toes throughout.

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End of Abyss

Release Date: 2026
Developer: Section 9
Publisher: Epic Games

Deep underground lies a seemingly abandoned complex—but a strange message has emerged from its forgotten depths. The technician Cel goes down to investigate the source of the signal, only to encounter a dim, claustrophobic world of tunnels, eerie glows, and aggressive creatures that appear to be both organic and mechanical. The top-down perspective of End of Abyss allows for players to feel the weight of the atmosphere and the tension of exploration, as the mystery beckons them ever deeper.

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Directive 8020

Release Date: 2026
Developer: SuperMassive Games
Publisher: SuperMassive Games

Tau ceti f looked like a potential new home for humanity. Then the ship Cassiopeia crashed there, and our assumptions were proven extremely wrong. The latest in the Dark Pictures horror game anthology series, Directive 8020 puts five heroes with few defenses on an unfamiliar planet, where they’re pursued by a shapeshifting organism. The Turning Points feature allows players to rewind back to pivotal scenes and make different choices to see new outcomes, but will you have it in you to make the hardest choices of all?

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ILL

Release Date: To be announced
Developer: Team Clout/Mundfish
Publisher: Team Clout

A mysterious fort in a desolate world acts as the setting for the highly-anticipated horror-action game ILL. The narrative will draw you in, but the encounters will leave you shaking. As you explore the fort’s halls, you’ll come face-to-face with some truly unsettling creatures that look and move as though they were torn directly from your nightmares. You’ll need to use your limited resources wisely, wielding and crafting weapons before tearing the freaks apart in physics-driven, ultra-gory combat.

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Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival

Release Date: To be announced
Developer: Saber Interactive
Publisher: Saber Interactive

Hellraiser: Revival is a single-player, first-person action survival horror experience that will put you into the dark world of Clive Barker’s twisted imagination. Play as Aidan, the protagonist in the story who must fight with various melee and ranged weapons, and use the mystical powers of the Genesis Configuration to take down unholy enemies.  Finding a way to survive your bargain with the infamous Pinhead and help your girlfriend Sunny escape is never as simple as it seems in a world filled with Cenobites, cultists, deviants, and the realm of torture and pain that is the Labyrinth.  

*Release dates shown are correct at time of publish but subject to change.

1994’s Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders and its 1995 sequel, Hexen: Beyond Heretic forged new frontiers in first-person shooter games. Experience these pivotal games today with Heretic + Hexen, a collaboration between id Software and Nightdive Studios bringing an enhanced re-release of Raven Software’s legendary games to a new generation of players.

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From demonic sci-fi to dark fantasy

“As one of the original developers back in the ’90s, it’s honestly kind of surreal to see Heretic and Hexen coming back like this,” says Brian Raffel, studio co-founder and co-head of Raven Software. “We built those games on a heavily modified Doom (1993) engine and tried to push the boundaries wherever we could, adding things like character classes, inventory systems, vertical aiming…stuff that was pretty wild for the time.  

“We were also lucky to be working with our friends at id Software, especially John Romero and John Carmack. Their support and engine tech gave us the chance to build something different. There’s something cool about knowing these worlds still mean something to people after all these years.” 

Players embark on a journey through monster-filled halls, trap-laden arenas and arcane realms in a unique blend of classic FPS combat with dungeon delving inspired by fantasy tabletop role-playing games. 

“Both Heretic and Hexen hail from the kind of fantasy that was common in 80s and 90s PC gaming but had yet to be explored much in a first-person shooter,” shares Mike Rubits, Senior Programmer at id Software. “There were a lot of shooters with war, sci-fi, and aliens, but not a lot of maces and wands.” 

“It was actually Romero’s idea to add character classes in Hexen—a move that really took the franchise to the next level,” says Raffel. “At the time, that kind of RPG element in an FPS was almost unheard of. Each class had its own weapons, stats, and playstyle – that blend of shooter mechanics with fantasy roleplaying was risky, but it worked. It helped set Hexen apart from everything else out there and made the world feel richer and more personal. I think that’s a big part of why people still remember it so fondly.” 

Heretic + Hexen features include local split-screen and cross-platform online multiplayer modes, the option to toggle the enhanced “Tome of Power” soundtrack from Andrew Hulshult, all-new accessibility options and quality-of-life improvements, behind-the-scenes materials in the Raven Vault and more. That’s not all: in addition to previously released expansion packs for the original release, Heretic + Hexen also features brand-new content! 

New content for Heretic + Hexen

“The two new episodes in Heretic + Hexen cover both games – ‘Faith Renewed’ is a new Heretic episode while ‘Vestigues of Grandeur’ was created in Hexen,” Rubits explains. “They followed in the spirit of the new episodes in our previous re-releases: a whole new experience that uses the original technology, but is not bound by having to run on 30-year-old computers with a very small amount of memory.” 

“During the planning phases, we figured we’d only have time to do one or the other,” says Xaser Acheron, Senior Developer at Nightdive Studios, “and it dawned on me that these are some of the fastest mappers in the West.” 

“I already knew there was going to be additional content for Heretic + Hexen, so I started making maps in my free time for fun,” adds Samuel “Kaiser” Villarreal, Level Designer at Nightdive Studios. “By the time the whole thing was greenlit, I had nearly a whole episode’s worth of maps done already.” 

“Sure enough, each mapper produced nearly an entire episode’s worth of content on their own, with community legend Not Jabba contributing a couple of gigantic maps to round out the set. I also got to sneak in one of my own,” says Xaser. “The gambit paid off, but in hindsight it’s really not that much of a surprise since those folks are absolute powerhouses.” 

Delve into the fantasy FPS classics today

Whether you’re returning to the mystical realm of Cronos or setting foot in its shadowy halls for the first time, the combined teams at Raven Software, id Software and Nightdive Studios invite you to experience Heretic + Hexen and the legacy that helped define a genre. 

“To the fans—those who were there in the early days and those discovering these games for the first time now—thank you,” says Raffel. “Your enthusiasm, modding, memories and support have kept these worlds alive far longer than we ever imagined. Seeing the community still care about this work after all these years means more than I can say.” 

Heretic + Hexen releases today for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

Hey everyone, this is Mike Tucker, Design Director and Programmer at Bitmap Bureau. We hope you’re all excited for Terminator 2D: No Fate, coming October 31, 2025. On behalf of everyone at the Bitmap team, we’re thrilled to reveal the new Gameplay Overview Trailer! The trailer gives an in-depth summary of T2D’s various gameplay systems, including info about game modes, pickups, the scoring system and more.

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Difficulty levels explained

Beyond what’s covered in the trailer, we thought this blog would be a great chance to delve into the game even further, specifically covering the different difficulty settings. Hopefully this overview will help you decide which difficulty to choose when picking up the game for the first time.

First things first, when you start the game, you’ll be asked to choose your preferred difficulty setting. From easiest to hardest, the difficulties are:

• Easy Money
• No Problemo
• Hasta La Vista
• Judgment Day (Unlocked only after completing Mother of the Future Mode. Completing Story Mode on Judgment Day unlocks the Cheats Menu.)

These difficulty settings are available for all game modes, but for Story Mode in particular, the choice means that the complete T2D story can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of skill level. We recommend first-time players start with the No Problemo difficulty setting for the most balanced experience, while those more experienced with the genre can try their hand at Hasta La Vista; that’s the one most of us here at Bitmap use as our Normal difficulty.

Broadly speaking, the differences between the difficulties revolve around enemy placement and damage output, the number of continues and whether the time limit is turned on. The Easy Money difficulty features no time limit (except for one level) and unlimited continues. However, there are more specific differences between the difficulties, affecting enemy placement, environmental trap timings and more. While it would be impossible to go over all of these changes in the span of this blog, below are a few examples to help you get a sense of the kind of differences you can expect between difficulties.

The Cyberdyne Factory level is a little different from the more run n’ gun levels in the game, testing players’ platforming and timing abilities with various environmental hazards. This level, set within a top-secret Cyberdyne facility, features automated welding arms, used by Cyberdyne in their early terminator experiments. These arms periodically drop down and ignite their torches, causing damage to the player if they come into contact with the sparks created by the arms or the arms themselves. These arms are scattered throughout the level, but how many of them are active will depend on the difficulty the player has chosen.

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This isn’t the only difference between difficulties in this level, however. There is also a section of the level in which flames will periodically shoot out of jet engines. The player must evade these flames to avoid taking damage, and time their upward jumps in the periods in which the flames are inactive. You can see below that choosing harder difficulties increases the number of active jet engines and reduces the period of time between bursts of fire, greatly altering the level of challenge.

Here is an example from another level, Freeway Chase, a recreation of the classic chase sequence in Terminator 2: Judgment Day in which John, Sarah, and the T-800 are trying to escape from the T-1000 piloting a stolen police helicopter. In this level, the encounter with the helicopter alternates between two gameplay sections, driving and shooting. In the shooting section, there is a crosshair visible which illustrates the helicopter’s weak spots. As the difficulties get harder, the size of the crosshair gets smaller, meaning that the player has to be much more precise with their aiming to do damage.

Your choice in difficulty will also result in differences in the game’s boss fights, including changes to attack patterns, tighter timing windows and more. At the end of the first Future War level, the player will have to battle a Centurion, a behemoth Hunter-Killer quadruped built by Skynet. Below, you can see that in harder difficulties, the Centurion’s ground-sweeping machine-gun attack moves faster, meaning quicker reactions are needed to avoid taking damage.

These are just some examples of the kind of the differences you can expect to see between Terminator 2D: No Fate’s difficulties. When developing the game, we aimed to give it a sense of challenge that would feel authentic to the feeling of old-school arcade games. However, we realise that controller-smashing difficulty isn’t for everyone, so we implemented these difficulty choices to ensure that everyone can pick their desired level of challenge, regardless of skill level or experience.

Whichever way you choose to play, thank you for reading and we hope you look forward to Terminator 2D: No Fate, coming October 31, 2025.

Ding ding! Time is up and we’re ready to pull our final party game creation out of the oven for a piping hot reveal. Cookie Haus is the fifth and final party game coming this fall in The Jackbox Party Pack 11.

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Welcome to Cookie Haus

Cookie Haus is a brand new drawing game that puts an emphasis on silliness and simplicity. In this game, you are a decorator at a bakery undergoing some creative chaos. Patrons come in to give you their decoration requests and you have a limited amount of time to design a cookie that fits their needs. Player designs are then pitted against each other while everyone votes for their favorite. 

It’s one of our most approachable drawing games yet. Players will be able to customize their icing tools and draw simple designs on pre-shaped cookies. Did we mention there will be sprinkles? Because, boy, do we have sprinkles! And the timer is ticking! You’ll need to get frosting on those cookies before the situation crumbles. 

“I can’t wait for folks to meet the ridiculous customers and check out the fresh, but familiar drawing tools,” says Chase McClure, Director of Cookie Haus. “But really, this is a simple drawing game about decorating cookies and I’m excited for people to see how fun, funny, and satisfying that is to do in this game.” 

Meet the rest of Party Pack 11

Cookie Haus is one of five entirely new party games in The Jackbox Party Pack 11. If you’re a fan of joke writing games like Quiplash or Survive the Internet, you’ll want to check out Doominate, a fast-paced, hilarious party game with killer style!

In Doominate, players are given a wholesome situation that they have to destroy with their response. Players work on both of their prompts for the round at the same time (as opposed to writing one and then tackling the next after you’re finished, like you do in Quiplash). This way, they can go back and edit before submitting. “We’ve found that it has led to some inspired answers and hopefully relieves some of the pressure that comes with those writing moments,” says Brooke Breit, Director of Doominate, “Players will also get a chance to save some scenarios from disaster in a heavenly final round.”   

Fans of audio-focused games like Earwax or Dodo Re Mi can expect to see a new twist on the genre with Hear Say, a game that provides a prompt and then asks players to make sound effects or record dialogue in response. In a Jackbox first, players will use their phone’s microphone to record themselves before it is played back for the group. “Recording your voice is an exciting, raw and unusual thing to do in a game. Seeing it played as a soundtrack to delightfully absurd characters and videos expands everyone’s humor, and allows you and your friends to discover new sides of yourselves together,” says Alina Constantin, Director of Hear Say. 

We’re taking trivia to a new world in Legends of Trivia, a fantastical game that asks players to work together to defeat monsters using their wits and smarts. “Cooperative trivia is a new feature that we’re excited to debut,” says Warren Arnold, Director of Legends of Trivia, “A lot of our games require players to communicate and interact with each other and I think it’s going to be a fun and different experience to incorporate into a Jackbox trivia game.” If you enjoy games like Quixort or You Don’t Know Jack, this could be the game for your group!

Rounding out the pack is Suspectives, a detective-inspired game that asks you to interrogate fellow players based on what you know (or don’t know) about them. “Suspectives takes that social-deduction-game moment of ‘questioning each other to see who’s hiding something’ and opens it up, allowing for everyone to signal whether they’re buying an explanation or not,” says game director Tim Sniffen. “A player can really get a sense of whether they’re losing the room or have everyone on their side – I can’t wait to see people try it out!” Fans of Fakin’ It, Push The Button or Role Models should feel right at home in the world of Suspectives.

The Jackbox Party Pack 11 releases on PS4 and PS5 this fall.

NBA 2K26 tip-off on PlayStation 5 is less than a month away; bringing a host of exciting gameplay innovations and presentation enhancements in the latest iteration of the NBA 2K franchise. This year, the Visual Concepts development team made another Eurostep forward in lifelike animations and authenticity, with heightened player fidelity, palpable arena atmosphere, energetic commentary and captivating pageantry—let’s get into it.

Player fidelity

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The weight of the moment combined with the wear and tear of each dribble, foul, and collision takes a physical toll over the course of a game. 

In NBA 2K26, the evolution of player fidelity is more noticeable thanks to a new shader that brings out the subtleties of each player’s skin. Get up close and see the sweat stream down the pores on players’ faces, the cracks in their lips from dehydration, and the improved muscle definition after a thunderous dunk. 

This new shading technology makes uniforms and shoes look even more detailed and stunning. The curvature of embroidered names on the back of jerseys boasts increased accuracy—you can even see the ultra-fine stitching. These minute details bring you closer to the action than ever before.

Arena visuals

Take in the grandeur of these larger-than-life NBA arenas with improved lighting, floor shading, and team-specific features in NBA 2K26.

Improved arena lighting

The lighting in NBA 2K26 has been redesigned to improve light intensity and color correction. Coupled with the new skin shader, the players shine and reflect like the stars they are as they dazzle under the bright lights of the arena.

Improved court floors

In addition to the new skin shaders, new floor shaders have been introduced to add more life and sheen to every court. The meticulously polished courts in 2K26 invite you to step on the hardwood and observe the uniqueness of each team’s home court. Depending on the camera angle you prefer, there’s a distinct contrast in wood grain color based on a higher or lower view.

Team-specific features

From the shape of each arena’s overhead spotlights to the Clippers’ towering “Wall,” all 30 arenas in NBA 2K26 have been designed to closely match their real-world counterparts. Teams around the league have different pregame rituals, like how they create specific patterns with their light shows or how they illuminate the court with team colors. For the teams that rely on pyrotechnics to fire up the crowd, a thin haze will fill the arena and progressively dissipate as the game gets underway. Dedicated fans of these teams will appreciate the level of authenticity and effort that went into capturing the true essence of every arena, like the Detroit Pistons’ courtside lounge behind the baseline.

Arena atmosphere

Feel the palpable energy of an NBA arena in NBA 2K26. Interact with diverse fanbases as a player and quiet the hecklers with sensational plays. Even the entertainers are putting on a show—mascots, hype crews, and national anthem singers are raising the bar during pregame and in between timeouts.

Crowd variety & interaction

Crowd variety and interactions were a big focus this year, and received major improvements and upgrades. Variety was greatly expanded with twice the number of unique character models, including more body types and heads. This represents a wider range of sizes, shapes, and ages. Clothing options are also expanded and now include current and historic player jerseys that feature a player’s name on the back of the jersey. We’re talking about over 60 historic players such as Jordan, Bird, and more; many of the top current players in the game have been included, as well.

Fans in the crowd have been given rally towels, foam fingers and even rubber chickens to show their team spirit. Expect to see these deployed in key moments of special games, think NBA Cup and Playoffs games. Each fan will also wear an arena provided LED wristband that’s used to create light shows for player introductions, after big plays, and more.

In MyCAREER, particularly passionate fans may heckle your MyPLAYER during the game. Listen to their chirps and use it as motivation to silence them with your skills on the court.

In-arena entertainment

During breaks in the action, new performers and entertainment will take the floor. From mascots on pocket bikes to choreographed dances, and more. There will never be a dull moment. All-new renditions of the U.S. and Canadian national anthems will be played pregame, prior to tip-off.

Player interactions

Player interactions in 2K26 set the scene before the game with an updated lower-bowl experience.

Pregame shootaround includes fresh animations; players and trainers can be seen conducting drills and getting warmed up ahead of the game.    

When there’s a stoppage or break in the action—timeout, coach’s challenge, end of a quarter—players will see refreshed bench and huddle animations, as you make substitutions and draw up plays. Some players may even make their case to the officiating crew about potential foul calls.

Late-game commentary

Add to the memory of your clutch moments with eloquent commentary captured by the talented play-by-play and color commentary of the NBA 2K broadcast team. In the waning moments of a game, especially when it’s tightly contested, there will be a noticeable shift in tone from the commentators. As the clock ticks down and the intensity ratchets up, the heightened energy will feel much different from a blowout.

Broadcast voices

Returning to the broadcast booth in NBA 2K26 are the talented, iconic, and insightful crew of Kevin Harlan, Greg Anthony, Stan Van Gundy, Shams Charania, and more. In addition to this distinguished cast, new PA announcers, international correspondents, and the incredibly savvy Tim Legler have joined the mix.

• Tim Legler: Known for his high basketball IQ and deep Xs and Os knowledge, Tim Legler is in-game to provide game breakdowns and basketball analysis.

• PA Announcers: All-new talent that represents the real-world arena announcers for almost every team. For example, the electrifying sound of Shawn Parker’s voice has been recorded for Charlotte Hornets games.
• International: Team China features play-by-play announcer ZeYuan Guan and analysts Jian Yang and Qun Su, and Spanish commentators have recorded new audio as well.

Big moments

NBA history is defined by iconic individual seasons and clutch performances in big moments. NBA 2K26 is designed to capture the magnitude of these awards and moments by drawing you in with the pageantry and spectacle of it all.

Dynamic banners

Celebrate your championships properly with dynamic banners in NBA 2K26. As you win titles, you’ll see banners from those championship victories raised into the rafters, where they’ll hang to commemorate your milestone achievements. Year after year, as you add to your storied legacy, these banners will be a constant reminder of your place in NBA history and a crowning achievement of your success.

NBA Cup

Presentation now has full integration for the NBA Cup, including more detailed overlays in Cup games that educate you on the groups and how many points teams need to advance in this unique format.

In addition, custom highlight reels will be played before NBA Cup games, featuring signature NBA Cup thematic music and special NBA Cup branding to make every moment feel more significant.

Replays will utilize the unique ‘matrix cam,’ which shows a 360-degree replay that orbits around highlight moments. 

NBA Awards

Celebrate your achievements with all 7 NBA regular season awards: MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, Clutch Players of the Year, and Coach of the Year.

Your trophy will be presented to you in your first home game after winning the award. If you won more than one award, you’ll even see them presented together.

Instant replay

Capture your favorite show-stopping highlights with Instant Replay, Photo Moments, and Highlight Builder features. In NBA 2K26, you can now save filter presets for easy access when creating highlight reels. Put an artistic touch on your gravity-defying plays to give them a cinematic look and feel.

From the rafters to the hardwood, and everything in between, NBA 2K26’s presentation enhancements raise the intensity inside the arena and make every game feel like it’s primetime. Pre-order NBA 2K26 Superstar or Leave No Doubt Edition and experience all of these authentic features for yourself during Early Access*, starting August 29!

*Early access only available for NBA 2K26 Superstar and Leave No Doubt Editions (Digital) only available on PlayStation 5. Availability restrictions apply.